Bang(101)

“She’s in the hospital,” Bennett says, but I don’t hear anyone else in the room.

“I need you to get here now,” he demands. “Bring everything you have on her.”

He has to be on the phone, but what the hell is he talking about? Who is he talking to and what do they have on me? Fuck. What’s going on? I need to get out of here. I need to find Declan. I can’t breathe. Oh my God, I’m panicking and I can’t breathe. Machines start to go off, filling the room with loud beeps.

“Nurse!” Bennett yells, and moments later, a cold fluid swims through my veins and I drift out peacefully.





“WHAT THE HELL happened?” I hear a man’s voice say. It sounds familiar, but my head is so fuzzy as I come out of a deep sleep.

“I got a call from Clara. She had come to the penthouse and found Nina beaten and unconscious. I don’t know what happened. I’ve spoken to the police and they’re investigating,” Bennett says. “Tell me what you know.”

“You wanna do this here?” the man questions.

“Yeah.”

“Her name’s not Nina.”

Oh no. No, no, no, no.

“What are you talking about?” Bennett asks.

“Her name is Elizabeth Archer. A runaway foster kid,” he reveals. “It’s all in the file.”

“Archer? Sounds familiar.”

It should, you *.

“Her father was arrested for international gun trafficking,” the man says.

“I know her.”

“Looks like she came straight for you. Piece of advice . . . call your lawyer.”

“As soon as you can, I want surveillance set up,” Bennett demands, but there’s no need. I’m done with him, and the only thing I’m guilty of is identity theft.

“The affair you originally suspected, she’s having one. Name is Declan McKinnon.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “What is she up to?”

“Here’s the file. Everything’s in it.” There’s a long pause before the guy speaks again, saying, “I’ll get security set up. Everything should be in place tomorrow or the next day.”

The door clicks and I know I’m alone with Bennett, and that freaks me out, because I no longer have control. He’s not a stupid man. If he hasn’t already figured it out, it won’t be long before he does.

Fuck! Why can’t I wake up?

“Elizabeth,” he whispers, and I can tell it just clicked by his acknowledging tone. “I always wondered what happened to you.”

Bullshit.

“Rick,” he says, speaking our attorney’s name. “Things could be better. Look, I have something that can’t wait. When can you see me?”

What’s he going to do? Shit. As much as I hate Pike right now, I need him.

“No, that works. I’ll leave right now.”

I listen to the movements around the room when a female voice says, “I need to change a couple of her bandages.”

“That’s fine. I was just leaving,” Bennett responds. “Here’s my card. I want you to call me the second she wakes up, and I mean the second.”

He leaves, and I continue to lie here in my comatose state, unable to react to anything. I don’t know what I’m doing or what’s going to happen to me. I need to run, to go find Pike. I hate that I still need him, but things are headed south, and fast.





I KNOW HE’S here. I can smell lotus blooms, and with that alone, the pinching angst that’s been festering relents and I feel safe. His hand is on my belly, another combing through my hair, and I will myself to open my eyes. To move, to do anything to let him know I can feel him. My body hurts so badly as my muscles start to flex and shift.

That’s it. Come on; wake up. Wake up.

“Nina?” he says, his voice is sad, but I need to hear it. I need that voice to pull me out of this darkness.

“Can you hear me?” he asks, grabbing my hand, and finally, I can feel my fingers move. “Baby, please wake up. Just open your eyes. Show me you’re still with me.”

I cling to his words, and light finally filters in. My eyes blink, responding to my body’s request.

“Thank God,” he sighs in relief as my blurred vision begins to clear. He leans over me, kissing my forehead, and I reach up, grabbing for any part of him.

“I’m here, darling,” he assure as I clench on to his shirt, and his hand covers mine. “I’m here,” he continues to soothe, and when I try to speak, I gag. “Shh, relax. You have a breathing tube down your throat. Just relax, okay?”

I nod, taking in a few deep breaths, allowing his soft, whispered accent to calm me, and notice the single, white lotus flower that’s lying on the bed beside me.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. When I didn’t hear from you, I called all over until I found you here.”

I reach up and touch the tube coming out of my mouth and shake my head, needing to tell him that when I leave here, I’m going home with him. I need him to know it’s over with Bennett and that it’s him I want, but he takes my hand away, reading me well, saying, “It’s fine. You don’t need to say anything.” His eyes are hard and serious when he says, “You’ll never go back to that bastard again. You’re coming home with me. I should have never let you leave my place the other night.”